


You Again

by embarrassingresultofmyfreetime



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 10 is soft for Missy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Happy Ending, I dont know how to tag these two sorry, Idiots in Love, Wholesome, Yearning, do I actually have to tag this as f/m oh boy, so now that they're not they realize they actually care about each other, they thought each other was dead, they're actually honest with each other for ONCE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24924283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime/pseuds/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Missy each escape their last canon appearances believing that the other is dead for good.So imagine their surprise when they run into each other at a party in the 1920's.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor & Missy, Tenth Doctor & The Master (Gomez), Tenth Doctor/ The Master (Gomez), Tenth Doctor/Missy, The Doctor & The Master (Doctor Who), The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who), Thoschei - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	You Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Valc0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valc0/gifts).



> Inspired by [this post by Valc0](https://valc0.tumblr.com/post/621105316040523776/mastershearts-valc0-mastershearts) and [this fic of 10 and Missy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17232473) which I just really like
> 
> Rated T+ for: alcohol, like one mention of drugs, but mostly for heavy topics like death  
> It's the 1920s. What did you expect
> 
> As with most things, this got away from me. Enjoy :)

Being told you're going to die does weird things to a man- and does even weirder things to a 1000-or-so year old Time Lord who still hasn't learned how to let go of life in any of its many forms.

Death can make one question their priorities, their accomplishments, their relationships, and nature of life itself.

But that was an old song, for people caught up in hypotheticals and denial. The Doctor, meanwhile, was well acquainted with the phenomenon and knew all too well that it would never get easier to let go of something so dear to him.

So instead of speculating about his own demise, the Doctor decided that he had time yet and he was going to live it to the best of his ability.

The 1920's was his Tardis's selection for a distraction this time around. He had let his Tardis choose by spinning the wheel at random of times and places of Earth. The party just across the front lawn was just his luck of the draw.

It felt rather fitting- to have this escape be a luxurious celebration while hardship loomed overhead. Poverty, economic ruin, and the war would soon follow their illusion of prosperity, as if determined to disprove the party goers’ claims.

Still, the lively, glowing estate sitting just up the drive was a tempting distraction from the Doctor's harsh reality.

He was in his usual brown pinstripe suit, the brown matching his messy spiked up hair that helped sell the illusion that he didn't have a care in the world.

He didn't often drink, but he already had the feeling that tonight might be an exception. He'd take almost any excuse to lose himself in the party- even if it was only a temporary solution.

As the Doctor approached the house, it suddenly occurred to him that perhaps this was all a disguise- as things often are- and that the Tardis had dropped him to this particular party on purpose.

Once inside, would he find the party? Or would he find another alien disturbance in time disguised as a 20's soiree?

Either way, solving problems was something to do and maybe he could even help someone. At the very least, it beat sulking in his Tardis.

The enormous white doors swung open to reveal a gigantic room with white marble floors. Shining gold and silver accents brightened the room along with huge vases of colorful flowers. A large, shining chandelier hung overhead and two identical staircases lifted up from the floor, curved along the far wall, and led up to the second floor before him.

The room and stairwells were littered with guests, all dressed in either heavy suits that were too warm for the stuffy party air or gorgeous flapper dresses that were too cold for the windy evening air. A cheerful song drifted through the air, courtesy of the band situated in the room to the Doctor’s right.

Out of the chaotic bustle of guests, a single figure immediately caught his gaze.

Alone, at the very top of the staircase, as if held up for the world to see, was a woman that- the Doctor felt somewhere deep in his hearts- was distinctly different from everyone else.

Her dark hair poured over her shoulders in thick waves and she wore a deep purple dress which stretched from her right shoulder, around her gorgeous features, and down to the floor.

The Doctor's eyes immediately caught onto her, but she remained turned away from him as she talked to someone else on the second floor.

She was someone important, the Doctor was certain, but he couldn't think of why. She just felt... familiar.

He considered going up to her. Perhaps he should talk to her, or maybe just to get a better glimpse of her face. However, before he could get more than a few steps closer, she disappeared.

The Doctor shook his head and, most importantly, shook away his curiosity. He instead chose to pick up the nearest glass of champagne off a nearby tray. The drink was bubbly in a way that irritated his throat as he downed the glass, but once it was in his system he had to admit, he felt just a little better.

Forget dying. Forget weirdly familiar feelings about strangers at parties. And forget wondering if his Tardis was roping him into fixing another alien problem affecting Earth's timeline.

He had partying to do.

It didn't take long for a nice crowd of party-goers to begin eating up his improbable stories. Sure the Doctor changed some of the details so he wouldn't be considered completely bonkers, but all the main plot points held true.

He shared tales of his adventures with Rose and Martha and Donna, and, after getting a little too caught up in his retellings, an old story from his time at the Academy.

It wasn't so long before he was leaning on the edge of his seat, second or third glass with something a little stronger in hand, and talking about a party he had once attended in France- nevermind that the visit in mind had taken place back in the 1700s.

All at once, his story was interrupted by a shout.

"Is anyone here a Doctor?!"

Upon hearing his que, the Doctor immediately leapt up from his seat and hurried through the crowd.

As he approached, he found that a young woman had collapsed, a thin figure with light hair in a dark flapper dress. A friend of hers had called out for a Doctor and was attempting to wake up the unconscious woman.

A masse of people quickly gathered, but just as quickly dispersed when the uninteresting sight wasn’t enough to entertain their tipsy minds.

"Hello! You called for a Doctor?" The Doctor squeezed through the crowd and knelt down to access the situation, "What's wrong with your friend?"

"She just passed out! I don't know-"

"Can't keep down her alcohol!" a well dressed man scoffed mercilessly from his seat at the nearby bar.

The Doctor sized him over.

"And how much alcohol was she trying to keep down exactly?" The Doctor snapped, already deciding he didn't like this man at all.

The man nonchalantly chuckled, "Not much, all said and done."

He turned back to his own drink, clearly well buzzed. The Doctor, after a few drinks himself, didn't have the patience for this, so he easily snatched the rude stranger's coat from the back of his chair and turned his attention back to his patient.

"Hey, that's mine!" the snide man protested from his seat.

"Not anymore!" the Doctor replied, "And by the looks of it, you'll be plenty able to afford a new one so bugger off!"

The stranger grumbled but didn't protest any further. He simply went back to ignoring the situation in favor of his own drink.

The Doctor pulled the newly acquired coat over the lady's shoulders.

"It's probably alcohol poisoning. Try to keep her warm and give her water when she wakes up. Is there somewhere else we can go?"

"I don't know," the friend, with short dark hair and the perfect outfit for the times contemplated nervously,

"We've never been here before."

She seemed on the brink of tears, nervous and alone.

The Doctor might be a little off his game today, but he certainly knew that look.

"Hey, this isn't your fault, alright?" the Doctor said as soft as he could manage. He shot her a reassuring smile, "Let's just get you both somewhere safe. It's a big house! I'm sure there's plenty of rooms!"

The Doctor checked the unconscious woman's breathing and pulse. They were certainly too slow. That wasn't a good sign.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up from behind him. He hadn't heard anyone approach, but it was hard for him to be certain of much of anything at the moment.

Still, he felt quite certain that the voice was strangely familiar.

"Already found trouble, I see," a sharp voice sang.

The Doctor turned his head around to see the strange woman from before, towering over them with softly amused eyes.

It was the woman in the purple dress. Dark curls poured over her shoulders and her dress was... ahead of its time! That's what had been bothering him. She wore a one-shouldered evening gown, covered in a spiral of deep purple flowers dressed up in shining gemstones and with the accessories to match.

And yet, she was ever so slightly out of place.

"Do I know you?" The Doctor asked.

His eyes narrowed as his tipsy mind tried to match the face to the numerous ones in his memory.

The figure was quite beautiful... uh... probably. It was hard to tell with humans sometimes; so beautiful might be the wrong word.

It was more like fascination. She was fascinating. She had some kind of charm that pulled the Doctor in, made his mind linger on her every word and movement. Something intriguing about her that held his interest far more than anyone else.

He scrambled through his mind for an answer, but he simply couldn't place the face. Oh well. He certainly wouldn't mind spending the rest of the evening trying anyways.

"Apparently not," the strange woman said simply, somehow sensing his defeat. She looked like she was about to say something more, but instead gave a simple, "Follow me." before turning away.

The Doctor turned back to the pair of humans and pulled one of the smaller lady's lean arms over his shoulders. Her friend did the same with the other arm and, together, they led the unconscious woman through the house.

The woman in purple led them to a back room that appeared to be some kind of library which, to the Doctor's relief, was devoid of any other guests. He and the other woman sat the unconscious lady down one of the couches.

"Keep her sitting up, make sure she keeps breathing, and hopefully she'll wake up soon," the Doctor instructed, trying his hardest to remember his actual medical training.

"Okay. Thank you," the young lady with dark hair said.

The Doctor then found his way to a different couch in another part of the room and threw himself across it. Alcohol plus the adrenaline coursing through his body was fading and left him a little dizzy. He needed a moment to pull himself together.

He snapped to attention as the lady in purple took a seat on the other end of the couch.

"Hello, dear."

The Doctor sat up and leaned against the arm of the couch closest to him for stability.

Maybe she wasn't familiar then. Maybe...

Maybe this version of her wasn't familiar but...

The way she held herself, the way she moved. The air of unshakability and yet apathy that washed over him from her presence. And she looked... tired.

She looked young but her gaze felt so very old and yet so very playfully mad. It made the Doctor's hearts leap up in his chest.

"Master?" he asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

For an instant, he worried that it was all wishful thinking. That he had somehow gotten it wrong.

Instead, the woman's eyes lit up and a grin flooded her face, somewhere between relief and a deep reassurance of her identity.

"It's good to see you, too, Doctor," she smiled.

Before he knew what he was doing, the Doctor had flung himself against her. He folded his legs under him to one side of the couch and the rest of him onto her lap. He wrapped his arms desperately around her middle, not unlike a terrified child in need of comfort.

Forget the social etiquette of the 1920's and forget how stupid the Doctor was sure he looked. His best friend was ALIVE. More than alive, she was okay! She was wonderful!

The Doctor hid his face against the exposed skin of her shoulder, ignoring the slightly too pungent scent of perfume and the way her dark curls tickled his nose.

"I thought you were dead! I really thought it this time!" he cried.

"Yes. Alright, dear. Watch the dress,” the Master chided him.

The Doctor only held her tighter, determined not to let go until he was sure this was really happening. She didn’t protest.

"Never do that to me again,” was all the Doctor could think to say.

It was a ridiculous request, and certainly one the Master could never nor would ever agree to, but the Doctor asked it of her anyway. All this time, he had thought he had failed his oldest friends. He didn’t have it in him to go through that again.

The Master didn't respond at first, instead simply letting the Doctor take it all in for a long moment. It had been a long time since they had been this close, and even longer since the Doctor had felt safe in his friend's arms. He wondered what the Master was thinking, why she hesitated, and what her inaction meant for their future.

He thought about moving to look at her, or ask her, but he didn’t dare. If he moved away, he might never get this chance again.

After several minutes, she finally took a deep breath and indulged him. She moved one hand to the back of his head and the other to rest on his back.

Maybe it was because the drinking suddenly made the Doctor very tired, but he was pretty sure he could live in that moment for the rest of his life.

"I... didn't realize my absence would leave you such a mess," the Master finally observed.

"Of course it did," the Doctor didn't feel any shame in childishly confessing, "you're my best friend. I love you."

The Master scoffed and finally pushed the Doctor away.

The Doctor attempted to pull back, but one of his legs got stuck under the other and before he knew what was happening, he was crashing into the ground at the Master's feet.

The Master chuckled gleefully and pulled her legs up onto the couch. She looked down on the Doctor's form in mild amusement but the slightest feeling of hurt betrayed her dark eyes.

"Really now. I'm not to be toyed with," she huffed.

The Doctor sat there on the ground for a long moment, looking up at the Master without any idea of what to do or say next.

The last time the Doctor had seen the Master, he had been such a mess. The last of the Master's incarnations had been driven mad by the Time Lords. He had been hurt and manipulated and the Doctor hadn't listened to his desperate pleas for help. The Doctor felt he should have paid better attention. He should have been able to figure it all out in time.

The Doctor wouldn't make that mistake again.

That's what the Doctor wanted to say. He wanted to promise to be a better friend. He wanted to reassure her that he would never disregard her again, that he really did love her, that he was stupid before to promise the Master the stars without asking if that was what _he_ wanted first.

The Doctor wanted to say all of that, but instead he was just awestruck. He was tired and scared of the destiny that awaited him, and tired and scared of his past. All while the Master sat right there in front of him, as incredible and brilliant and resilient as always.

All those feelings came flooding back, from the good old days before they knew any better, and it threatened to break his heart free of his current form in that familiar old way the Master had ALWAYS made him feel.

"You're beautiful," he mindlessly mused.

And she was. She always was. Not in a superficial way, but deeply and thoroughly. The Master was so brilliant, so skilled, so cunning. The Master could also be a complete idiot, but it was part of their charm. It was what made them, them.

And the Doctor was so glad they weren’t dead.

"Now I know you're completely drunk," the Master scoffed,

"And for the record, it's not the Master anymore," she said, a thick scottish accent bleeding through.

"It's Mistress, or Missy for short. I've decided to embrace this human construct of gender seeing as I'm stuck in this dreadful place anyways."

She paused, "It's been a lot of fun actually. People always underestimate me and that makes it twice as fun to watch the life bleed from their eyes."

 _Ah_ , the Doctor thought, _same old song and dance_.

The Doctor paused a moment to put the new words to practice, "Mistress? 'Suppose it's as good as any. Oh, or 'your Majesty', that would be quite good."

Missy raised an eyebrow.

"Majesty," she contemplated, "that's not too bad either. I'll think about it."

Missy was about to say something else when the Doctor heard a new voice from across the room. He turned his head and scrambled up to his feet.

"Hey, I think she's awake!" The nervous dark haired lady called, her friend still in her arms.

The Doctor quickly made his way over to examine the smaller woman's condition.

Missy gave a heavy sigh of frustration.

"Hello!" The Doctor did his best to greet the lady without scaring her, "I'm just going to take your pulse again and make sure you're alright. Warm enough? What's your name? How are you feeling?"

"My name's Betty. And... I don't feel too well."

"Right, that would check out," the Doctor chuckled. He turned to the friend, "And I never did ask about you."

"My name's Anna and I'm fine. Much better now that she's okay. Thank you, Doctor," the dark haired woman smiled.

She then helped her smaller friend up and led her into the nearest bathroom.

"Can I call you a car or something?" The Doctor leaned against the wall outside the door.

He was pretty sure Betty was emptying the contents of her stomach in quite an unpleasant manner as Anna stepped back into the library.

"We don't have a ride. We came here with friends and I'm not sure where they've gone," Anna explained, "It probably wasn't the best decision to come here at all. I always think these events will be fun but they rarely are."

The Doctor chuckled, "You and me both. Still, I could probably find a car- oh goodness, but I shouldn't drive now should I?"

The Doctor glanced up and scanned the room for his old friend.

"Missy?"

"What?" Missy replied flatly.

The Doctor sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Not recently. I do have a certain reputation to uphold and believe it or not, I'm here on business."

Her eyes suddenly narrowed skeptically, "Why?"

The Doctor shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Weeellll.... I was hoping you could drive these lovely ladies home since I.... can't."

Missy's eyes rolled back with a deep breath but she bit her tongue as she stood and crossed the room. Her eyes scanned along a particular shelf for a long moment before pulling out a specific book. She then pulled two items which had been hidden in a cut out of the pages. The first was a knife which Missy stabbed into a hidden slot in her right shoe. The second was some kind of lock pick which she slipped down in front of her dress too quickly for the Doctor to notice.

The Doctor decided it was probably best not to ask why Missy had a knife hidden in the library. Honestly, the Doctor would be more worried if she _didn’t_ have weapons hidden, but putting it in a book felt a little… cliche is all. Very Clue. Or maybe it was just a common thing in the 1920's. He had actually had a similar experience with Agatha Christie when one time-

Missy’s voice pulled his distracted mind back to reality.

"I suppose I do have a vehicle," Missy sighed.

"Excellent!" the Doctor beamed with a bright, ridiculous grin, all teeth and shining eyes,

"Shall we be off? Alonzy!"

Missy didn't look the slightest bit impressed.

The Doctor offered out his arm to the- to _Missy_ , and shot her a cheerful grin.

Missy linked her arm with a soft sigh. The Doctor knew Missy hated helping humans in any form but, judging from the smile on her own lips, appreciation for the other’s company was mutual.

The Doctor then turned back to the humans,

"Do you think you could get your friend to the front door?" He asked.

Missy's arm slipped away and she was at the front door before the Doctor's mind could catch up.

"I'll just pull the car around, shall I?" She huffed, "Save us ALL some time."

With that, she slipped through the doors and disappeared into the bustle of the party.

The Doctor stood where he was and waited for the pair of humans to collect themselves.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Anna smiled.

"No problem. We'll take you two wherever you'd like. Jus' want to make sure you get home safe and all," the Doctor assured her.

A pause.

"So, you know the Mistress?" The lady asked curiously, as she led her friend across the room by her arm, "You two seem very close."

"Oh, I'm a very old friend," the Doctor smiled wistfully.

He was having something of a day and it had corroded his usual facade.

The Doctor continued, forgetting himself for a moment, "We grew up together, a very long time ago and quite far away from here- to put it simply. Then something happened..." he stared into the distance, unwillingly rewatching it all happen for the umpteenth time, "...and I thought she would be gone forever."

"What a romance," Anna chuckled as she led the way out to the party.

"What? No. No, she's- We're not- Oh, forget it."

The noise of the crowd was drowning him out anyways and he still had to make it to the front doors. He really needed to focus on navigating through the room without crashing into anyone.

Before long, the two humans and the Doctor made it out through the large front doors and down the white marble stairs to where Missy was impatiently honking an immaculate 1920's Rolls-Royce.

The Doctor slid into the passenger side and the two humans situated themselves into the back seat.

The dark haired woman gave Missy her address and by the hum Missy gave in response, it wasn't too far from the party.

The Doctor immediately began to flip through the radio stations and chattered about all sorts of trivial nonsense.

"No seat belts. I don't like that," he mumbled, trying to find a decent channel.

"Talk show, always fun. I much prefer a nice evening tune. I mean, 1920's! Talk about style. Oh! I might know this song. I got stuck in 1919 once and-"

The quick slam of Missy's fist onto the dash shut off the radio. The Doctor shrunk a little in his seat.

"Right. I was just thinking how much better a quiet ride would be after such a noisy party."

The Doctor yawned and watched out the window for a few moments before opening the glove box out of curiosity.

"Gloves, cigars?" He then pulled out a small tin of disgusting breath mints. A moment later, it finally hit him.

"This isn't your car, is it?"

Missy's lips pulled into a tight smile. She pulled the lockpick from the front of her dress and held it up for the Doctor to see.

"Those humans are in my house, you know. Borrowing one of their vehicles for a few minutes isn't that much of a trade off."

The Doctor scowled, but he had to admit that the way she said it almost made sense to his fuzzy mind.

He just hummed and leaned his head back in the seat. He was getting a little dizzy again.

"Iz... a nice house," he simply said.

"I think I might prefer this version of you," Missy chuckled.

The Doctor returned the quip with a smile and a soft hum of amusement, "Don't get too used to it."

The Doctor wasn't sure if he had drifted off, but the next thing he heard was the car door slam shut. He jumped at the noise only for his eyes to register the interior of the car once more.

"Thank you so much," the pair of humans said as they stepped out of the car.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't tell anyone I did this for you," Missy shot back.

"Thank you too, Doctor. Have a good evening!"

The Doctor managed to wave to the pair as they made their way to the house Missy had stopped the car in front of.

“Stay warm and drink water only!” the Doctor called after them.

“Will do!” Anna agreed.

Now abruptly awake, the Doctor did his best to calm his racing hearts. He wanted to say he felt better now that the effects of his drinking were wearing off, but really he just found himself extremely aware as to why he had been drinking in the first place. The only thing left to numb the pain of the dark cloud looming over him was a mild headache.

Missy put the car into drive once more.

It was almost strange to be alone for once, with just the engine of the car to keep count of the moments passing them by as they rode down an unlit road. It was so rare for them to be alone together anymore. Not that he minded. He actually quite enjoyed it and the strange way it leveled out their usual argumentative dynamic.

When no one else was around... well... there wasn't as much reason to put on a show.

"Where are we going?" The Doctor asked.

"Back to the party," Missy said flatly. "Unlike you, Doctor, some of us have things to do. Not that you've bothered to ask."

"Ask?" the Doctor hissed. As if the terrible thoughts invading his mind weren't bad enough. Now he had to think of what damage Missy was leaving in her wake as well. Any kind of 'business' she was involved in could only lead to human deaths, he was nearly certain. He wished it wasn't true, but he couldn't think of a scheme his friend had been involved in that _didn't_ result in someone getting killed.

The alcohol wearing off left him just irritable enough to voice his disapproval.

"What was I supposed to ask? Which human lives you're planning to take next? Which of your schemes you're working on this time?” the Doctor snapped just a little sharper than he’d meant to, “ It's better I don't know."

He sighed and glared out the passenger window once more.

Missy huffed.

"Really? You're just going to brush me off again? Like you've been doing all evening?"

"I haven't been brushing you off!" The Doctor protested.

Missy shook her head in disbelief, her wild eyes quickly turning furious.

"You absolutely have. Every time we've talked, every time you've looked at me, you immediately run back to those human pests the moment they call. You only come to me when you _need_ something."

"Because they need my help!" The Doctor explained.

Wasn't it obvious? It felt obvious to him.

The Doctor felt a sudden rush of frustration. Why was the Master/Mistress always like this? He had told her he had missed her and she had pushed him away- and now she was mad he hadn't spent the evening crawling back?

" _They need me_ ," the Doctor snapped, "you don't!"

"Yeah?! Well, maybe I wish _you_ needed _me_!" Missy shouted angrily.

The Doctor fumbled over his words for a moment. His anger was gone in an instant.

"What?"

Missy sighed, her jaw clenched and her hands tight on the steering wheel before her. They were also probably going a little too fast for the dirt road they were on, but the Doctor wasn't about to make light of it.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it _matters_!" The Doctor said, exasperated. He knew he shouldn’t ask about his future, but he wasn’t feeling very rational at the moment. He was running out of time to play their game anyways, so he wasn't quite sure he cared about being rational anymore.

The Doctor dared to ask:

"Does something happen in the future? Whatever it is, tell me and I won't do it! I swear I-"

The Doctor couldn't quite think of the words. He couldn't promise anything but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. He just... couldn't lose his friend again.

"Whatever it is-” he promised desperately, “I'll fix it!"

Missy suddenly burst out a low growl, tears in her eyes as she snapped at him.

"Then stop trying to fix everything! Stop trying to fix every little problem you come across and _stop trying to fix ME!_ Stop trying to tame me and keep me like one of your little human pets! I don't _want_ to be like you, with the weight of everyone else's problems on my shoulders! In the future, I do everything you ask of me and it still feels like you're toying with me. You only care about me if I become a force for ' _good'_ like you think you are- but that's not who _I_ am! What's it going to take for you to stop trying to fix me and just be my friend?"

The Doctor breathed softly,

"Missy-"

"Just... shut up." Missy hissed.

It didn't take long until they were back at the party once more.

Missy left the car on the driveway and headed back to the party.

The Doctor took a breath. He had to get his head right.

So he would die soon. So he would apparently mess things up between them down the road.

So what? He was there, then and now, and this version of him had never lied about the way he felt. When he had said he forgave his friend, he’d meant it.

He quickly raced out of the car.

"Missy, wait!" He pleaded.

Oh man getting up quickly was doing something weird to his head. He did his best to ignore it.

Thankfully, Missy turned around before he had to chase her too far. The Doctor steadied himself with one hand on the car hood. It was very hot from the engine and he quickly yanked his hand away.

What was he saying? Oh right.

"Just hold on a minute," he caught up with her, "I don't know how things go down in the future but I- the me right now- I've never lied to you. I forgive you for what you've done. I don't care. All I know is that you're my friend and it really would be my honor to show you the stars. It's hard when you... you know... torture and kill my friends sometimes- but you have to know that you're absolutely brilliant. I've always thought so."

His mind suddenly caught up with his words as he poured his heart out in the cool, evening air. The distant music of the party, the soft chattering of people, the smell of food and alcohol. It all reached his senses and then faded away in the background as his eyes registered Missy's fond smile.

"I should have paid more attention to you. I should have realized that you were hurting and done something about it. I'm sorry, I really am. I don’t know what happens down the road but I _do_ need you in my life so just... tell me how to prove it to you."

Missy scanned him over, her eyes nearly level with his in the heels she wore. For a moment she looked so... calm.

As if his acceptance had finally put an end to her vengeance.

Missy smiled, softly, and took the Doctor's hand.

"In that case, I'd like to dance."

The Doctor chuckled, "I'm a bit rusty-"

"Nonsense. Come on now, dear. I'll convince the band to play something nice."

The Doctor beamed as Missy took his hand and led him into the party once more.

Missy left him near the dance floor for only a moment to suggest- and by suggest, the Doctor was pretty sure she meant 'strongarm' the band into playing- the song of her choice.

As the Doctor waited, he did his best to ignore all the little problems around him. He ignored the fact that a piece of railing on the second floor looked just a little too flimsy for the heavyset, drunken man leaning against it. He ignored a couple having a lover's spat near the bar. And for once, he turned a blind eye to a lady almost certainly selling cocaine in the next room.

Something should be done about all those things, before they escalated into bigger problems.

However, for just once, he ignored it all. Missy had asked him for one, single, quite reasonable thing. For just once, he wouldn't risk messing it up.

His eyes followed Missy's smile as she returned to him, clearly pleased to find him exactly where she'd left him. It wasn't easy to stand there and ignore his instincts, but nothing about love was easy.

He really did love them, the Master, Mistress, Koschei, in any form and name. He did and now he had to prove it in the simplest of ways- and yet one that was quite difficult for the Doctor specifically.

Missy took the Doctor's nervous hand in her own as the new song began. It was slow and gentle, with the string section perfectly performing each note while a skilled woman sang mellifluously.

"You must know how to dance," Missy chuckled, "hundreds of years of frolicking about with humans must have left you with some ability."

The Doctor didn't reply at first. Not stepping on Missy's feet was difficult enough on its own without having to defend himself on top of it. He stared down at his own feet as he tried to mimic Missy's lead.

When had she gotten so much better than him at all this?

Missy tipped his head up and then moved the Doctor's free hand from where he had set it on her shoulder to her waist. It took a minute or so for the Doctor to find the right order of steps but eventually, he began to get the hang of its repetition. Luckily, he was a quick learner.

"So," the Doctor decided to properly ask as he finally found the right groove of steps, "what brings you here? You're stuck here?"

"Yes,” Missy admitted with an air of disappointment, “I've taken up some business with these pests until I can repair my Tardis. Money really can get you almost anything, even when it will break down in less than a decade or so."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," the Doctor mused as he repeated the steps once more. He'd rather not consider looming darkness at that exact moment, but it was there, nevertheless.

"Why are you here? I don't recall you being one to drink. At least not this you anyways," Missy noted.

The Doctor took a long breath, tilting his head up with consideration for a long moment.

"I'm going to die soon. A party felt like as good a distraction as any," he admitted.

As his eyes flickered back to Missy's expression, he found her more surprised by this than he would have guessed.

"Still scared of dying then?" She chuckled.

"Isn't everyone?" He asked somberly.

Missy simply scoffed.

"And here I thought you were tired."

"I am," the Doctor tried to find the words to explain, "I really am tired but... I've become better than I was when I last regenerated. I've worked so hard and I don't want to start fresh again. There's still so much more I want to see."

The Doctor nearly crashed into Missy as she stopped abruptly. The song was only half over, but it didn't seem to matter.

He wondered what she was thinking, but he didn't have to wonder for long.

"Then let's go see the stars," Missy suggested abruptly, her deep eyes staring up at the Doctor's own wide and dumbfounded expression.

"What?" He asked, his mouth dry and his mind baffled.

"Let's go see the stars," Missy repeated firmly, "like you always promised we would. You're not dead _yet_ now are you, my dear?"

The Doctor suddenly felt his face light up. His lips curled into a grin that showed off his teeth and the sides of his eyes crinkled softly with enthusiasm.

Missy looked at him like he was the stupidest person in the world, but a fond smile of her own pulled at her lips.

"Then what are we waiting for!" the Doctor laughed.

The Doctor pulled away but kept a firm hold of her hand as they rushed through the crowd and out the front door once more. He carefully led Missy- who was in heels- down the steps and across the lawn to his Tardis, all the while rambling about his favorite places to see.

"Where do you want to go first?!" He grinned ecstatically, "I know of these two galaxies on the brink of crashing directly into each other- oh! Or what about this SPECTACULAR supernova! There's a new one that spans MILLIONS of miles across and consumes its entire solar system! Or! Or there's this HUGE cloud of particles and radiation that is giving birth to _new_ stars not too far from here!"

The Doctor pushed open his Tardis doors and hurried to the console. Missy shut the door behind them with a soft click and chuckled as the Doctor energetically raced about the console.

"Wherever you'd like, dear,” Missy agreed.

The Doctor happily set the new coordinates and raced about with uncontainable excitement.

“The supernova”, he decided, “It’s one of the most gorgeous in the universe! It’s been beaming away for hundreds of years but no one’s ever been able to get as close as we’re about to be!”

He barely finished before racing to the front doors once more.

He opened them to find the party a world away from where they were now, overlooking the terrifying and yet incredible vastness of space.

The Doctor stared, because no matter how many times he saw the universe's infinite beauty, he never got tired of seeing it. The deep black of space was covered by endless layers of supernova. Dust clouds of purples and blues and greens and reds and oranges all painted the view with their entwining colors, shining with all the quiet amazement of rainbows after a storm and the strange, unpredictable beauty of spilled motor oil on asphalt.

The Doctor lost himself in the moment, taking it all in. It hurt him to wonder how many more stars were left for him to see before he, too, met his end.

Maybe if he was lucky, he would go out spectacularly as well.

Without warning, Missy knocked him out of his wallowing and tripped him out the front doors. His feet caught the ledge and Missy's hand caught his. He stared up and his entire vision filled with the swirling beauty of stardust as he leaned out into the infinity of space.

The Doctor’s dark eyes took it all in, amazed to see the universe from such an angle. The whole universe seemed to surround him, a peaceful stillness of space with such pockets of life spaced far and in between. All those worlds and times at his fingertips and yet none of them would ever be like this one again.

After a long moment, his eyes fell back to Missy's smile. She had one hand in his, and the other holding the frame of the Tardis. He chuckled as she pulled him back inside.

The Doctor beamed as that wonderful kick of adrenaline flooded his systems. She had just been messing with him, of course, but she could have let go anytime the fancy struck her. There would have been nothing the Doctor could do about it, and yet the worry had never crossed his mind for a single second.

It was just the nature of their relationship because... well... where would be the fun in killing the other for good?

The Doctor quickly collapsed into a laugh, a full-hearted and amazed laugh that gave him the confidence to pull Missy into a tight embrace.

"Thank you for this. For everything," the Doctor laughed warmly as he pulled her close. Her dark hair tickled as he buried his face into her neck, but he couldn’t care less. He was just happy to know they had more adventures to come.

After a moment, Missy leaned into him as well and let her arms hold him close. She seemed... almost sad, but the Doctor didn’t ask why.

It wouldn't last, it couldn't of course, but the Doctor felt lucky because at least in this difficult world where darkness loomed over so many, he was able to make things just a little better for someone out there. Two humans were back home and safe because of he and Missy. He had to remember that.

But Missy was right too. He had to remember that not everything was his job to fix. All he can do is make the most of his time before it's up. It's all anyone can do really.

Finally, he pulled away and grinned until Missy returned his smile.

“So? It’s your turn! All of time and space, where to next?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> I'm a huge fan of Valc0's art/aus/everything so I just wanted to make a little something
> 
> Stay safe everyone!! <3<3<3


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